Tony Vitello Says He Made 'Selfish Decision' Leaving Tennessee to Take Giants Job

New San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello admitted to putting himself first when he made the decision to leave his job as head coach at Tennessee to take a premium gig at the MLB level.

Speaking to reporters (h/t Mike Wilson of the Knoxville News Sentinel), Vitello called his move a "selfish decision" but one that he also believes was right for him.

"It was selfish," Vitello said. "It was personal reasons. I have always tried to be a good teammate, but I feel like I made a selfish decision that was one I needed to make. It was the right decision."

It did seem like there was a point when Vitello was debating whether or not to leave Tennessee. The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly, Brittany Ghiroli and Ken Rosenthal reported on Oct. 18 that the Giants were "closing in" on the 47-year-old as their next skipper.

Vitello told reporters "there was no decision made whatsoever" when that report came out. It took four more days before the Giants officially announced his hiring on Wednesday.

While a job at the MLB level would seem like an easy move to make, Vitello had already reached legendary status with the Vols. He took over the program in June 2017 when they hadn't finished with a winning record in SEC play since the 2005 season.

By his fifth season, Vitello led the Volunteers to the SEC regular-season and tournament titles. They won their first national title in 2024, setting single-season program record with 60 total victories.

The baseball stadium has been undergoing a three-year, $100 million renovation project that is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2026 season.

Vitello cited "a lot of factors" in his decision, but made sure to point out that "anything to do with San Francisco, anything to do with Tennessee—at the end of the day it was not relevant to the decision."

This certainly feels like a once-in-a-lifetime moment for Vitello. He is the first person in history to go from a college coach to MLB manager with no previous experience in professional baseball.

There are only 30 of these MLB managerial jobs to go around. Vitello has made a huge impression at the college level in a relatively short period of time (eight seasons).

The Giants will be hoping he can provide similar results as they look for a spark after missing the playoffs in each of the last four seasons and eight times in the past nine years.